Discussing The Colorodo Shooting & Gun Laws

[Nicolette]

To me there is one simple way to stop the shootings - take the guns away! There are lots of crazy people out there and some who may just have a bad day - no access to a gun - no shooting IMHO.

 

[piratelady]

I don't know that taking the guns away would make much of a difference. Don't get my wrong, I hate guns, would never own one or use one. I just think that if the people in the world that would do such a horrible thing didn't have guns, they would just find another means to hurt people.

It saddens me that there are people in the world that would do something like this. I kind of wonder what goes on in their head that would make them want to be so hurtful. I will never understand it.

 

[Nicolette]

I don't know that taking the guns away would make much of a difference. Don't get my wrong, I hate guns, would never own one or use one. I just think that if the people in the world that would do such a horrible thing didn't have guns, they would just find another means to hurt people.

While I agree to some extent when you see the bombings etc in Iraq etc I also disagree as here in Australia, where guns are controlled, we don't have such mass murders.

 

[piratelady]

I see your point. I like that in America we have the right to bear arms, but there needs to be limits and controls to that right...well, more limits and controls than we currently have.

 

[Nicolette]

We have the right for self defense - as in enough force to defend ourselves (equal and opposite force) so for example if someone punched you then you can punch them back to defend yourself but it would be an offense to beat your attacker to a pulp leaving them unconscious if they only punched you in the eye.

I don't really understand the American full definition of " the right to bear arms" and all which it encompasses other than I thought it was to keep guns under the right of self defense. I question the need for such a lethal weapon to be used as self defense. If you didn't have someone attacking you with a gun then you wouldn't need a gun to defend yourself with IMHO. So for me it comes back to removing the guns.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Nicolette, there are a whole bunch of people who believe in the right to bear arms. Alot of survivalists. When the Rodney King riots in LA happened the only stores and homes that were safe were the ones where the people were armed.

What you say makes sense. No guns no problems. But so many people own guns not to mention the black market that sells guns.

The police keep on collecting guns, but there are just too many who have them. I do not know what the solution would be. America is pretty messed up. I am glad to live here, but I am the first to admit we are really messed up. I do not know what the solution would be.

I do not know where America will end up. It is pretty scary thinking about it. One lone psyco goes off and does things like this. We need help, we need alot of help. We are a country divided.

 

[kdblossom]

The wild west mind set is to strong here. There are just to many guns in America for strong gun control to work. That said there has got to be a way to prevent things like this from happening.

I am from Tennessee. In this state I have the right to carry a concealed weapon if I have a license to do so. I have a friend and her husband that both have that legal right. I believe if he had been in there with his gun fewer would be dead. He's very good with his gun. Tennessee is a good old boy state. Gun control would never work will in this state because to many people have guns hidden in weird places.

 

[Nicolette]

What you say makes sense. No guns no problems. But so many people own guns not to mention the black market that sells guns.

Gizmo many years ago we had a gun amnesty (on the night my then boyfriend's cousin shot himself after an argument with his family - his father being a policeman) where, unless holding a licence and registration, you could hand in your guns without consequence. When the amnesty closed at midnight on a set date a new law was brought into force where anyone found in the possession of a firearm without appropriate registration faced a criminal offense.

Wherever you go there will always be a black market for illegal products. There are still guns in Australia and some which are illegally held. But, I guess like this forum, if you make a rule for the bigger picture and the majority follow the rules you start to diminish the risk of situations which are undesirable. You will never 'stop' something but maintain more control for the better good of all.

The boy I knew who died was a great kid and if his dad didn't have a gun in his office that day (even though locked up) and there wasn't alcohol and an argument involved I believe he would be alive today. Yes he still may have hurt himself but shooting himself would not have happened. Even saying that it is still not the problem as this boy only harmed himself - I am talking about giving that same young boy a gun, him feeling like crap, and letting him walk down a street filled with people as things may have then ended up very differently (he was in a isolated spot when it occurred so thankfully no one else was hurt).

 

[catjudo]

What I don't understand is why we don't at least have some system in place that would send up a red flag somewhere when you have an individual buying so many guns and so much ammunition within such a short period of time. A rifle, shotgun, two handguns and something like 6,000 rounds of ammunition all bought legally within what sounds like a three month time period.

The government has measures in place to track and limit how much over-the-counter cold medication I can purchase, but there is no system that would cause this many weapons/ammunition to get someone's attention?

 

[cherryblossom]

The shootings that happened in Colorado is tragic for anyone and everyone involved. My heart goes out to all those people and families who were involved. I really can't begin to imagine how frightening it would be to have been in that theatre that night.

I don't think there is ever going to be a simple answer to stop these kind of tragic shootings. However 2 thoughts come to my mind. The first is how easy it is for someone to get hold of a firearm, and secondly is, how much 'care' there is for psychologically disturbed people. I can only give my opinion based on my experience in the UK.

It is very difficult to care for psychologically disturbed individuals if they do not present themselves to healthcare. Even if an individual does self-present to a medic, it is difficult to take care of that individuals needs. I know that in the UK, care in the community for such individuals is very much lacking. I can only imagine that it is pretty much non-existent when individual health care insurance is the only means of treatment /care. (I admit, I'm making assumptions here, because I really don't know how things work in the US.) So I guess I would worry that even if an individual disclosed to a health professional that they showed signs of being severely psychologically disturbed, nothing would be be done, if they didn't have health insurance.

However, I don't think this was the case, in this situation. Which brings the discussion back to the availability of firearms. "Having the right to carry a concealed weapon" - that sentence scares the shit out of me. I know that there must be a lot of cultural differences here. But honestly I can't imagine that situation. Where I need to carry a gun, just to defend myself going about my day to day business.

That is a scary situation. If I dealt with criminal situations on a daily basis, then maybe I'd need to defend myself with a gun. If I owed some shit head dealer money (who threatened me), maybe I'd need a gun to defend myself.

I don't understand I suppose. There is clearly a huge cultural divide. In the UK firearms can be legally owned, but only then its rifles for shooting game. I don't know if it's ever legal to own a hand gun?

I suppose I'm getting off the point. If an individual is desperate enough to shoot people, they will find any means necessary. But sometimes different laws will make it easier to get that firearm than other laws. I don't know what the answer is, all I know is that guns scare the crap out of me.

A totally tragic situation.

 

[Nicolette]

"Having the right to carry a concealed weapon"

Living in Australia I don't see or can think of any situation where having a weapon would be needed in my day to day life.

The thought of a simple car accident and hurting someone like that would make me feel sick - holding a gun to someone's head to defend myself would be something I would not be able live with. Geez, I wouldn't trust myself with a gun. At least with driving a car you are given lessons have to spend hours driving supervised before being allowed in a car on your own, pass a test and then have stricter restrictions placed upon you for about 3 years where less infringements lead to a loss in licence - and a car isn't even considered a weapon yet still is one. What training and experience is the average person in the US given in relation to guns?

I wonder if you asked an innocent family in the US who lost a family member due to a shooting like a hold up etc how they now feel about guns? I don't understand how the "right to carry a concealed weapon" serves any purpose unless you possibly will use that weapon one day (otherwise why carry it?) . The "right to carry..."logically leads to "using that concealed weapon" for me......Does the US Constitution inadvertently give Americans the right to "kill" others as I am sure each and every person is not skillfully trained how to only injure with a gun???

These are my thoughts let alone adding someone mentally unstable to the mix.

 

[Nighthawk]

This is a very hard subject being shot at 6 I have a hatred towards guns. I found out one of my friends had a gun in their house. I have not been back since. This is very agitating to me. I can't imagine destroying so many peoples lives in such a way. Well I can't imagine destroying anyones life. I just don't get it.